Acorna

In this charming science fiction tale, three grizzled asteroid miners discover an escape pod containing a most unusual infant: a baby girl with a tiny horn on her forehead, silver hair, and other distinctly non-human features. The miners—Gill, Calum, and Rafik—decide to raise the child themselves, naming her Acorna. As she grows at an accelerated rate aboard their mining vessel, they discover she possesses remarkable healing abilities and an innate sense of purity that can neutralize toxins. But as Acorna matures, questions about her origins and her people become impossible to ignore, while her extraordinary gifts attract both those who would exploit her and those who desperately need her help. The novel blends the adventure of space opera with themes of family, identity, and what it means to find where you belong. McCaffrey and Ball create an appealing fish-out-of-water story with a genuinely likable protagonist whose innocence and goodness never feel saccharine, thanks to her intelligence and agency. The relationship between Acorna and her three adoptive fathers provides warmth and humor, while the mining frontier setting offers plenty of action and intrigue. This is an accessible, optimistic tale that will particularly appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven science fiction with a touch of wonder and heart.